


Complications

by miraculoushearts



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, all of the ships, the fluffiest of fluff, they are so totally in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-05 05:57:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5363990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculoushearts/pseuds/miraculoushearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrien feels lonely one night, so he decides to visit a certain classmate. Things spiral out of control from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lonely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien starts thinking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This prompt is for the lovely Cae, also known as 20053! Let me know your thoughts! This is going to be 4 parts (hopefully), but let me know if you guys want more.

It was dark in Adrien’s house. Not a soul was stirring. One could hear the echo of a pin drop on the marble floor.

  
Adrien sat up in his bed; restless, weary, conflicted. He couldn’t sleep. It’s been that way for the past few weeks now. School was part of it; all of the end of the semester assignments that have been given to the class. His family life wasn’t helping him either. His father was being even more cold and distant than usual, spending even more time with his work. But the thing that kept him up at night the most; his secret double life as a hero of Paris.

It wasn’t easy being Chat Noir, no. Between lying to his friends and the time it took away from perusing other interests (not that he had that much freedom in deciding how to spend his leisure time). If he was honest with himself, being Chat Noir WAS his free time. It was pretty much the only time of the day he could be himself or do whatever he pleased. Not to mention that he had the pleasure of spending time with his lady.

Oh, Ladybug.

That girl had made his heart skip a beat more times than he could count. It was hard to get her out of his mind. He would always think about how her pigtails flowed in the wind as she leaped from rooftop to rooftop; or the way her ocean blue eyes shimmered in the night sky; and even her infectious laugh filled Adrien’s thoughts.  
Oh, how he loved this girl.

But there was someone else that, as of recently, began to plague his mind.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Marinette was very sweet and kind, but terribly shy, especially around Adrien. Why? Did she not like him? Or was there something more? He couldn’t figure it out. He never really gave her much thought. So why now? Actually, now that he was pondering this, he started to think about her more and more after that Evillustrator incident. She didn’t hesitate to help him out while Ladybug was off on her “secret assignment”. Normally this girl couldn’t form a coherent sentence around Adrien, but she had been so brave, so focused, so…unlike the Marinette he knew. Honestly, that night, she reminded him of his partner; of Ladybug. It would also explain why Ladybug wasn’t around to help; because we she was already there.

But that wasn’t possible, was it? There was no way! Marinette and Ladybug were two totally different people with two totally different personalities! Then again…the flirtatious, joking Chat Noir wasn’t anything like soft-spoken, reserved Adrien. That’s not who he really was. He wanted to not have a care in the world. But that wasn’t possible when he was Adrien Agreste. His alter ego gave him what he desired most: freedom. So maybe the same could be said for Marinette. Maybe she was fooling everyone with the same tactic he was using. Maybe.

It was eating him alive. He had to know.

He glanced over at Plagg who was sleeping on the pillow next to him. Adrien gently shook his kwami, attempting to wake him up.

“Plagg,” he whispered. “Plagg, wake up!”

Plagg yawned and rubbed his eyes. He glared at Adrien.

“What?” he asked. “What do you want? It’s the middle of the night!”

“I know, I know,” Adrien responded. “But I can’t sleep.”

“And so you thought it was a good idea to keep me up with you?” Plagg retorted.

“Sorry.” Adrien sighed. He stood up from his bed and walked over to his window, leaning his head against it. Plagg was about to make another snide comment, but he stopped before anything slipped. He figured this wasn’t the time. He floated next to Adrien, trying to get a read on the situation.

“Adrien,” he spoke softly, “what’s wrong.”

“I’m…I’m lonely, Plagg,” he murmured.

“You have me, don’t you?” Plagg questioned jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. Adrien let out a small chuckle, but then frowned.

“You know what I mean. I never really noticed how lonely I really am until recently. My dad is never around. I don’t see my friends outside of school. My closest friend is Ladybug…but I don’t even know who she is. Well…that is…” he stopped himself. Adrien still wasn’t sure about Ladybug’s identity, but he had his suspicions. That’s why he woke up Plagg in the first place. He needed to see her.

He needed to see Marinette.

“Plagg,” Adrien started. “Let’s go. We’re going to make a house call.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: miraculous-hearts


	2. Lady(bug) in Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things start to get interesting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I didn’t expect to get this much support for this short story! You guys are the best, bless you all. And now, part 2 for all of you lovely people!

Why was he doing this? WHY? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he needed to see her.  
If he was right about Marinette, (which he was pretty sure of), then what would happen then? He didn’t want to put their relationship in jeopardy. And he knows she wants their identities a secret. He was risking ruining the best friendship he’s ever had. Selfish.

But he was wrong about Marinette, this would all blow up in his face.

Chat halted his running and stopped on top of the building next to Marinette’s family bakery. He could see a light shining through the second window. He pulled out his baton and fixated his camera on the window. When he zoomed in, he could see her. Marinette was sketching something in her journal. He wondered why she was up this late. It was passed midnight, after all. He laughed lightly to himself and put his baton away.

“Here goes everything,” he whispered to himself as he lept onto Marinette’s balcony with a soft thud.

 

~

  
The last thing Marinette expected tonight was to her a knock…on her roof? She didn’t move at first, thinking that it was just her imagination. But then she heard it again. Tentatively, she climbed the stairs where the small door the lead to the roof was located. She was about to open the hatch when there was another series of knocks. But this time, a voice followed.

“Hello?” the voice called. “My princess isn’t going to leave me out here by myself, is she?”

Oh no. She could recognize that voice anywhere. She brought her hand to her head and dragged it across her face in annoyance. Why was he here? What could he possibly want? And at this hour? Rolling her eyes, she finally opened the door to the roof. When she did, she saw two bright green eyes staring down at her. He had a small smile plastered on his lips. He offered her a hand and pulled her up to the balcony with him. Marinette and took a deep breath and tried to summon her most unrealistic exaggerated happy voice she could do.

“Chat Noir?!” she exclaimed mockingly. “What are you doing here? Is there trouble again? Where’s Ladybug?”

Chat Noir’s smile disappeared as he folded his arms. “You don’t have to do that, you know,” he told her.

“What do you mean?” she asked innocently.

“Pretend that you’re glad to see me,” he retorted. “I know I’m not your favorite person in the world.” If Marinette really was Ladybug, he was convinced she was trying her very hardest to keep him in the dark about her identity. It was so cute. It was almost laughable.

Marinette blinked a few times in surprise, but decided to drop the façade. “It’s not that I don’t like you, Chat,” she admitted. “It’s just…”

He help up his finger to her lips, cutting her off. She stopped pretending, he thought. His premonitions about her are almost confirmed, but he didn’t want to push it. ”You don’t have to explain yourself, Marinette,” he explained as he removed his hand away. “I know I can be…what’s the word I’m looking for? Umm…”

“Annoying, flirtatious, obnoxious…” Marinette listed.

“One of those would have sufficed, thank you!” Chat interrupted her. “But the reason I’m here is because, well…I wanted to see you.” Chat turned away for her and leaned his arms again the railing of her balcony. He looked up at the sky and sighed heavily.

She wasn’t acting the Marinette he knew. Anytime he talked to her, she would clam up or start stuttering like crazy. The way she was talking him to now was similar to how she behaved last week when she ran against Chloe for class president. She wasn’t afraid to voice her opinion or speak her mind. So why did Adrien make her a babbling mess? This is so confusing, he thought.  
Marinette watched him carefully. This wasn’t the Chat she was used to. He seemed sad. She walked over to him and gently placed her hand on his back. She felt his muscles relax under his touch.

“Why did you want to see me?” she questioned.

“You’re…” he started, “you’re the only person I’m comfortable talking to. And my other life is pretty lonely at the moment, and I just wanted some company. You were the first person that came to mind.”  
Marinette felt something in the pit of her stomach. Guilt. Why would Chat confide in Marinette and not Ladybug? Well, she was Ladybug, but he didn’t know that…hopefully. Perhaps she was so distracted by his joking and flirtatious nature that she couldn’t see that they was a boy behind the mask hurting. It made her insides twist and turn. She could have been a better partner. A better friend.  
Well, he was here now. It was time to make amends.

“What’s wrong, Chat?”

He looked down at her and smiled slightly. “Like I said, I’ve just been lonely recently. My father is never around anymore. Not that he was there in the first place. I never get see any of my friends because of this strict schedule I have to follow. My only free time I have nowadays is when I turn into Chat Noir. It’s the only part of my life…I truly enjoy.” Chat straightened and walked away from the railing, wrapping his arms around himself.

It was worse than Marinette thought. She followed Chat and wrapped her arms around him as well.

“I’m sorry, Chat,” Marinette muttered. “I had no idea.”

Chat grabbed Marinette’s hands and turned around to face her. He brought her hands close to his face and pressed his forehead against them. “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known. I don’t tell anybody about my civilian life. It’s not something I like to talk about.” He lifts his head and brings their hands down to waist-level. Marinette brought one of her hands and rested it on Chat’s shoulder.

“Then why are you telling me?” she asked softly.

Chat brought his free hand to Marinette’s face and began to stroke her cheek lightly with his thumb.

“Because I trust you,” he answered sweetly.

Marinette started to turn red. She didn’t know why. This was her partner, her friend! This wasn’t supposed to happen! She wasn’t supposed to have feelings for him! He’s Chat Noir!  
But here they were; on Marinette’s balcony, their lips inches away from each other.

“Marinette,” Chat breathed. The way he said her name sent shivers down her spine. She met Chat’s needing gaze.

“Yes, Chat?” She knew what was coming. She knew what he wanted.

“May I kiss you?” he whispered.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Without warning, Marinette pressed her lips to his, causing Chat to jump. His eyes became saucers and tried to process what was happening. It was only a second later that his eyes fluttered shut and began to kiss her back. Her lips were soft against his and she smelled faintly like the bakery she lived above; like cookies and sweets. He brought his other hand up to her face, cupping it in his hands. Marinette threw her one hand around the back of his head and started to tug at his blonde hair lightly while she brought her other hand to his chest. The kiss was warm and steamy; Marinette felt her whole body burning, even when they were standing in the cold night air of Paris. Their lips fit perfectly together, like puzzle pieces. Her name lingered in his throat as he nibbled at her bottom lip.  
The kiss felt like it lasted a life time, but at last, Marinette pulled herself away. She let her eyes open. Cat’s eyes were watery and she swore she could she his cheeks turn a bring shade of red. Unexpectedly, Cat threw his arms around Marinette and hugged her tightly. She heard a light gasp escape his mouth. He was crying.

“Chat?” she murmured as she returned his hug. Chat loosened his grip and placed his hands on her hips and laughed softly.

“I really hope I’m not wrong about this,” Chat finally spoke.

“Wrong about what?” she prodded.

He leaned down and placed a small kiss on her cheek. He walked away from her and jumped onto the railing, turning his head slightly.

“If I’m right, I’ll see you very soon…my lady.” He leaped from the railing and onto the next roof. Marinette blinked only once before Chat Noir disappeared from sight. She was now left alone on her roof.

Oh, no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOH, CLIFFHANGER! Sorry, not sorry! Part 3 coming soon!
> 
> Tumblr: miraculous-hearts


	3. Falling for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette is clumsy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY FOR MAKING YOU GUYS WAIT SO LONG! Something went wrong with my computer and I wanted to wait until my computer was fixed, but that didn’t happen in time, so I’m using my make-shift computer. Thank you for being so patient with me!! Here’s Part 3!

“No! No, no, no, no! This is not happening! This can’t be happening!” Marinette was pacing the floor just of her bedroom, contemplating the events the that just took place on her balcony. Tikki floated near the panicking girl’s head.

“Marinette! What’s going on? What happened?” Tikki questioned.

“Tikki!” Marinette nearly shouted, “This is not good! He was here! Chat Noir was here and he called me “My Lady”! He knows I’m Ladybug! He has to know! Why else would he call me that?“

“Chat Noir was here?” Tikki pondered. “Why?”

Marinette walked over to her couch and sank down to it, resting her head on her arm. “He told me…he was lonely,” Marinette admitted, “so he came to see me. He said I was the first person that came to mind and that he hopes to see me soon. I don’t know how much truth that holds, but I know he was upset.”

Tikki followed Marinette and sat down on her shoulder. “If you think he knows who you are, is it possible that you might know him without the mask too?” Tikki asked curiously.  
Marinette shook her head in response. “I…don’t know. I never really thought about it.”

Was is possible that Marinette knew Chat’s true identity? How close has she been to him outside of their superhero lives? She was curious, sure, but she would never ask him. She always thought it was a bad idea to know who they really were. But now Marinette’s head wasn’t in the right place. It was all such a mess. How could she let that dumb cat get into her head? Or was it her heart that he was invading?

“Did he say anything else to you,” Tikki pressured.

Marinette tensed up and looked away from her kwami. “Yes…and no…” she answered tentatively.

Tikki left Marinette’s shoulder and floated in front of her face, forcing her to make eye contact. “Marinette, what do you mean?”

Marinette shot up from her couch and threw her hands in the air. “Tikki, I kissed him! I kissed Chat. He asked me if he could kiss me and I ended up kissing him first and I enjoyed it and don’t ask me why because I don’t even know but this doesn’t make any sense because I like Adrien, not Chat, but after he left all I wanted to do was kiss him again and now I’m just confused and I don’t know what to do! Tikki what do I do?!”

“Breathe, Marinette! Take a deep breath,” Tikki commanded.

Marinette did as she was told. She inhaled and exhaled languidly, eyes closed and heart beat slowing. She plopped back down on her couch and buried her face in her hands.

“If you ask me,” Tikki started, “it sounds like you don’t know what you want.”

The teenage girl looked up from her hands to stare at her mystic friend. “But Adrien is the one I care for, Tikki!”

“Hmmm…” is all Tikki had to say.

“At least I think he is,” Marinette whispered. What had Cat done to her?

“Maybe you should get some sleep, Marinette,” her kwami suggested. “It might help you sort out your feelings.”

Marinette nodded. She ascended to her bed the loomed above her room. She kissed Tikki on the head before she closed her eyes and tried her best to drift to sleep. Not surprisingly, her dreams were plagued with her flirty, crime-fighting partner. She didn’t get much sleep that night.

 

~

  
“Marinette, wake up!” Alya roared as she began shaking her best friend violently.

Marinette’s eyes snapped open as she slammed her hands on the desk. “I’m awake, I’m awake!” she almost screamed.

Alya shook her head in disappointment. “Girl, you don’t look so good. Is everything alright?”

For once, Marinette wished she could tell Alya everything. About how she saves the city as the famed spotted hero the people of Paris have come to know her as. About how she was crushing on her partner as well as the boy who sits in front of her who never seems to give her a second glance. About how last night she finally kissed the guy she always pushed away and how he was the cause of her restlessness. But there was no way she could. It was too dangerous. Too risky. Too embarrassing.

Marinette rubbed her eyes and yawned. “Yes, I’m alright,” she lied. “I…just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. Strange dreams.” Ok, that part was true.

“If you say so,” Alya shrugged.

School seemed to drag on forever today. Marinette wasn’t even sure about what the lectures were on half the time. She kept slipping in and out of consciousness, that damn cat lingering in the back of her mind. After what seems like an eternity, the final bell rang. The class filed out quickly, rushing towards the door like there was a fire in the room. Sleepily, the troubled hero sluggishly flung her bag over her shoulder, dreaming of the moment that she could throw herself onto her bed to try and get some actual sleep.  
But her streak of bad luck decided it would continue to run its course.

Marinette was too sleep deprived to remember the step before the floor. She stepped forward, but her foot touched nothing but air. She shrieked in surprise and closed her eyes, expecting to hit the hard, wooden floor below her. Unexpectedly, she fell onto something, but it wasn’t the floor. She felt arms wrapped around her, pulling her to a standing position. Someone had saved her, and that person was still holding onto her arms. She finally convinced herself to open her eyes to see the hero who saved her from the painful fall.

“A..Adrien?” she nearly squealed. Out of all people, why was he the one to catch her? Did the universe hate her?

“Hmm, I didn’t know you were falling for me, Marinette,” he chuckled lightly as a small smile crept across his face.

Marinette’s face was flushed and her heart was racing a mile a minute. “Uh..um, I mean…I…” was all Marinette could string together. She began to giggle uncontrollably, but quickly threw her hand over her mouth in attempt to halt the noises escaping her mouth.

Adrien finally pulled his hands away from Marinette and grabbed the bag that still sat on his desk. “You should try and get some more sleep,” he purred as he strolled towards the doorway. “I’ll see you later, Princess.” Giving a two fingered salute, he vanished out of sight, laughing as he did.

Marinette became a statue as she stood alone in the abandoned classroom.

No. It can’t be, she thought. There’s just no way. How could they…he be…the same..NO! I refuse to believe…but…then again…wait…

“Marinette,” Tikki flew from her bag, “what are you thinking?”

Marinette turned to her kwami and smiled slyly. “I’m thinking…it’s our turn to make an unexpected visit to a certain black cat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand, that’s all she wrote…for now. Thanks again for being so patient with me. I promise part 4 won’t take as long as this did. You are all amazing!!  
> Edit: I also want to thank @seiyakanie for inspiring me to write this small fic. She is truly amazing.
> 
> Tumblr: miraculous-hearts


	4. Bug got your tongue?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everything makes sense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I never expected to get so much support for this story! You guys are truly amazing! I think a lot of you will like this chapter, but no spoilers :-) And now, I present to you the next installment of “Complications”

Dusk was approaching. The sun was setting against the Paris skyline. It was truly a sight to behold, but Ladybug was on a mission. She was leaping from rooftop to rooftop, determination and confusion flowing through her as she raced towards the Agreste mansion. Her heart was beating in her chest as she recalled the things this boy had said to her over the last two days.

_…I’ll see you later, princess…_

_…I wanted to see you…_

_…I didn’t know you were falling for me…_

_…because I trust you…_

_…I’ll see you very soon…my lady…_

_…May I kiss you…_

_OH MY GOD, I KISSED ADRIEN!_ she screamed in her head. And now she could feel the blood rush to her face. _Pull yourself together!_ she reprimanded herself, _This is Chat Noir! Your flirty partner! Your good friend! You shouldn’t be nervous…even if he is Adrien…_

It was still a hard concept for her to grasp. Never in her wildest dreams could she picture her partner and her crush to be one in the same. They were just too different. And she was still curious on how he was able to figure out she was Ladybug in the first place. She was always so careful as to keep her identity a secret. Perhaps Chat…Adrien…was smarter than she gave him credit for. Well, that was her assumption anyway. Adrien seemed so obvious yesterday, it was almost like he wanted her to figure it out.

But as she was bounding over the rooftops of Paris, something else crossed her mind. What am I going to say to him? she panicked. “Hi Adrien! I’m Ladybug, but you know that! And you also know I’m Marinette, the girl who sits behind you in class who can’t form a complete sentence when I talk to you. And you know this because you’re Chat Noir apparently and you like Ladybug, who I am, and it just so happens that Marinette, who I also am, has had the biggest crush on you, Adrien. So I guess it all works out for the both of us!” Marinette mentally slapped herself. She couldn’t say any of that to him! He would think she was a complete lunatic. She had to think of something else. But before she knew it, she was already across the street from Adrien’s house.

She could see him through his glass window. He was sitting on his bed with his legs crossed doing what appeared to be homework from class today. He was chewing on the end of his pencil with a puzzled look on his face. As she watched from afar, she started giggling to herself.

“What a dork!” she whispered to herself. Was this the boy she had been freaking out about the entire time? That’s ridiculous! She recalls all of the flirty remarks he’s made to her thus far, all of the attempted kisses and the cheeky grins. And she thought about the times he’s taken a hit for her. He gave up his existence to make sure she was safe. Her smile slowly turned into a frown. All this boy had ever done for her, and she never gave him a chance. And even though she’s pushed him away countless times, he still came to her balcony. He didn’t care that Ladybug was just plain old Marinette from his class. He loved her. And it took their midnight rendezvous from the night before to realize that she loved him too. All of him. Not just the good-looking, talented, soft-spoken Adrien Agreste from school, but also her witty, caring, loyal friend Chat Noir. And she was going to prove that to herself and him right now as a wave of confidence and excitement washed over her.

She launched her yo-yo that wrapped around the top of the Agreste mansion and gently propelled herself towards Adrien’s window. She propped her feet up against the glass in order to balance herself in the awkward angle she found herself in. She was about to tap on the glass, but realized Adrien was starring right at her with his beaming green eyes, his mouth slightly open. She smiled and waved her hand, but Adrien remained unmoving. After a few seconds, without breaking eye contact, Adrien shoved his school work off to the side and walked over to where Ladybug was hanging. He unlocked the latch and opened the window as Ladybug gracefully landed in his room.

“Ladybug…” Adrien finally managed to utter. At the sound of her name, she flashed a smile at the boy and began to move in his direction, her azure eyes glowing. “Is everything alright?” he asked.  
There was no response as she crept closer to him. Adrien’s heart skipped a beat and his face turned a bright shade of red as he started to back away from the masked heroine. Little did he realize that his bed was directly behind him. So as he stepped away from the girl that interrupted his peaceful night, his leg caught the side of his bed and he landed softly on his back. Ladybug was still perusing him, her smile never wavering as she inched closer and closer until she was looming over him.

“Ladybug?” he squeaked. Still no answer.

Ladybug placed both of her hands on the collar of Adrien’s shirt and pulled him up so he was inches away from her face. He let out a small gasp before he saw her close her eyes and felt her lips pressed up against his. Her lips were soft and familiar, and he could smell the faintest aroma of sweets that surrounded her. He let his eyes shut as placed a hand behind her head and pulled her even closer. He felt a smile form on her lips and he couldn’t help but smile with her. She finally released Adrien from her grasp and put her hands on her hips.  
“You can dish it out, but you can’t seem to handle it, huh, kitty?” Ladybug teased.

Adrien smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. He pushed himself up from the bed and placed his hands on her shoulders, a huge grin spreading across his face.  
“So, you’ve figured me out, my lady?” he questioned.

She rolled her eyes and removed his hands to bring them down to waist-level. “With a little help,” she replied. “You know, you could have been a little bit more inconspicuous about it.”  
He chuckled as he brought one of her hands to his lips and kissed it lightly. “I just wanted to be sure you knew exactly who I was.” Their eyes locked. This was the first time Marinette was seeing the real Adrien. The Adrien that he couldn’t be in his everyday life, but the one he was when he was saving Paris. But it didn’t matter to her. She now realized she loved both sides of him; Adrien and Chat.  
He let go of his hand and folded them across her body. “Before we go any further,” she began, “I wanted to ask you a few things, I don’t want any more secrets between us. Promise?”  
“As my lady commands,” he obliged. “But, I would prefer to talk to the girl behind the mask. If that’s alright with you, of course.”

She nodded her head in agreement. “Transformation, release,” she commanded. With her word, the red and black-spotted suit evaporated as did Ladybug, leaving Marinette in her place. She caught Tikki in her cupped hands as she flew from her Miraculous. “Tikki, meet Chat Noir…I mean Adrien. Adrien, this is Tikki, my kwami.”  
“Hi!” Tikki greeted cheerfully, “it nice to finally meet you, Adrien.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Adrien bowed. “I always expected you to be just as adorable as your wielder.” Marinette couldn’t help but turn red as Tikki giggled.

“Thank you,” Tikki responded. “And if you are Chat Noir, I’m assuming Plagg is somewhere close by?”

“Plagg?” Marinette asked confused, “Is that your kwami?”

“Indeed he is,” Adrien confirmed. “But he only really appears if you say ‘cheese’.”

“Did someone say cheese?!” a small voice rang through the room as a small black cat who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere now floated next to Adrien. His eyes were almost identical to that of Chat’s and Marinette could see thin whiskers that were sticking out of his face. “Where is it? Where is the cheese? I…”

“Plagg,” Adrien said cutting him off, “I want you to meet Ladybug. Well…Marinette.”

“Hi,” Plagg greeted curtly. “So there isn’t any cheese?”

A flash of annoyance came across Adrien’s face. “Plagg, don’t be rude! I’ll get you some cheese later!”

“Haven’t changed a bit, have you, Plagg?” Tikki spoke floating up to the black kwami.

“Ah, Tikki,” said rolling his eyes, “always nice to see you. It’s been a while. But not long enough if you ask me.”

“Um, guys,” Adrien interrupted. “I hate to break up the reunion, but would you gave us some privacy?”

“Sure thing, lover boy!” Plagg teased, making Adrien’s face flush. “If you need me, I’ll be down in the kitchen raiding your fridge.” And with that, the small black cat was gone.

“I’ll follow him so he doesn’t get into any trouble,” Tikki volunteered. The red and black kwami swiftly left the room, leaving the two heroes of Paris alone together.

“Well, we’re finally alone,” Adrien sighed in relief. He moved to where Marinette was standing, placing his hands on her hips "What do you wish to know, Princess?“

Marinette met his gaze and planted a soft kiss on his pink cheek. "Everything,” she breathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I guess I should have known this would be more than 4 parts. Oh well, I’m just gonna leave this here. This was a fun chapter to write!! But thank you guys so much for your support for this fic, you have no idea how much it means to me. AND HAPPY PREMIER!! Part 5 is coming soon!!
> 
> Tumblr: miraculous-hearts


	5. Crystal Clear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some "discussion" happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I should be studying for my finals, but no, I want to write about my OTP instead. Thanks again everyone for your support on this story!

 

This is not how they expected things to go. Who could have predicted this? Sitting next to each other on Adrien’s bed talking about their double lives as Parisian superheroes was something neither of them could have seen coming. But they both wanted to clear the air. They didn’t want any more secrets between them; they were partners after all.

“So…” Marinette murmured, rubbing the back of her neck.

“So…” Adrien repeated, chuckling lightly.

“S…sorry…” Marinette apologized. “This is just…really weird. I don’t know where to begin.”

Adrien brought his hand to Marinette’s forehead and pulled her bangs out of her eyes, making her cheeks turn bright shade of pink. His fingers were soft against her skin and she could feel that heat radiating off his body. He was just so kind and inviting, it was hard not to feel happy around him.

“Relax, Marinette,” Adrien cooed. “It’s me. You can ask me anything.”

Marinette took a deep breath and let it out slowly, collecting her thoughts. “How…how did you figure out it was me? That I was Ladybug?”

“To be honest,” he started, “it just sort of…hit me. I…uh, was actually thinking about you last night, Mari.” Adrien did his best to hide his flushing face, but Marinette caught sight of it and began to blush again herself. “I thought about when you helped Cat during that time Nathanael was akumatized. Oh God, you must have thought I was a complete idiot! Kissing your hand! And flexing! What was I thinking?” he chastised himself, smacking his hand to his forehead in embarrassment.

“You’re right,” Marinette laughed light-heartedly. “You were a little ridiculous.”

“Anyway,” he continued, “you didn’t hesitate to lend me a hand, you weren’t scared, and you even figured out how to get us out of that box he trapped us in. And I remembered how you ran against Chloe for class president when no one else had the courage to. All of those things reminded me of my best friend. But I wanted to make absolutely sure, so I, uh…”

“Came to visit me on my balcony?” she finished. “And you’re not disappointed?”

Adrien raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed?”

“Because…” she muttered, “because I’m just Marinette. You were probably expecting someone more interesting or special or….”  
Adrien placed a finger on her mouth, stopping her in her tracks. “Now I’m going to stop you right there. Don’t you dare sell yourself short like that. You’re brave, you’re determined, you’re kind, you’re…beautiful.” He whispered that last part.

Marinette let out a snort and quickly covered her face with both hands. “Adrien, be serious!” she yelped in a muffled voice.

He reached for Marinette’s hands and gently pulled them down towards her lap. When she looked at him, his face was stern. He placed a hand on her cheek and began to stroke it lightly with his thumb. “I’ve never been more serious in my life, Marinette. Never.” Adrien felt something hit his thumb. A tear. Marinette was crying and sniffling quietly. He wiped the tear from her face and brought his other hand to her other cheek, now cupping her face in his hands. “Hey, hey! Why are you crying? Please don’t cry. Is it something I’m said?”

“No, no,” Marinette whispered, pulling her face away from his hands. “It just…I never thought you would ever think I was beautiful. You were…are…so out of my league.”

“What are you talking about, Marinette?” he questioned, not understanding her.

“Don’t laugh,” she pleaded “but…I had the biggest crush on you, Adrien, ever since I first met you. You were so kind, and talented, and…” she gulped back her fear, “handsome. I never thought you would ever fall for a girl like me.”

Without warning, Adrien pulled Marinette’s face close to his and pressed his lips to her own. A small squeak escaped Marinette’s mouth, her eyes widening in surprise. But it was only a few seconds before she closed her eyes and let her hands find the back of his head, tugging at his blond hair. His kiss was soft, but needing. He pulled away slowly and gave Marinette a soft smile.

“You’re wrong, my lady,” he spoke softly, “you are the only one for me.”

Marinette couldn’t help but giggle with delight as she placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed him away. “Stop it, kitty. You’re gonna make me blush!”

“Oh, I think I’ve seen your face change color 5 different times tonight,” he teased, standing up from the bed and offering her a hand. “And now I’m thinking this is a better time than any to tell you this. It’s something I wanted to tell you on Valentine’s Day, but I never got the chance.”

“What’s that?” she asked quietly.

He brought his lips to her ear, making Marinette shiver with excitement and anticipation.

“Je t'aime,” he sighed. He then began peppering Marinette with kisses. He started with her cheek then moving to her jaw and then her neck.

“Adrien! S…stop! That…that tickles!” she complained. A soft laugh escaped his throat as he continued to ravish her with his lips. Marinette broke out with laughter, trying, and failing, to get away from Adrien. Finally, she grabbed his face, squishing his cheeks together. “Silly kitty, my lips are right her,” she said playfully, giving him a small peck. Adrien let a giant grin creep across his face as he gave her a peck of his own. Neither of them knew how many times they’ve kissed tonight, but they didn’t really care. All they knew is that they were kissing the person of their dreams, something that seemed so out of reach a few days ago.

It was a while before even of them spoke, but Marinette was the first to do so.

“So what now?” she asked, wrapping her arms around Adrien, bringing him in for a hug. “You know our class is going to question our sudden…familiarity with each other. Should we keep it secret? Just, sort of, ignore each other for the most part? I don’t want to raise any suspicions.”

Adrien returned her hug, almost squeezing her. “It would be extremely hard for me to do that to you, Princess. But I agree. I’ll do my best to behave myself.”

Just then, both of their kwamis flew into the room, Plagg chasing Tikki around. They froze and stared at the teen superheroes in their embrace.

“Having fun?” Plagg questioned slyly. Looking at each other, they broke their embrace, both rubbing the back of their neck and laughing lightly.

“Were you guys able to talk about everything?” Tikki interjected.

“HA!” Plagg snickered, “what makes you think they were talking!”

“Sh…shut up, Plagg!” Adrien stammered, his face turning redder than a Paris sunset. “And for your information, we did talk!”

“Sure you did,” Plagg doubted, rolling his eyes.

“We did,” Marinette assured the tiny black cat. “And we think it’s best to keep everything private at school. We don’t need anybody getting suspicious.” She turned around and faced Adrien again, grabbing his hands. “It’s getting late. I should probably get back home. We still have classes tomorrow and I would like to get some sleep.”

“Well, you know” Adrien started, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her closer, “you could always stay here. I wouldn’t be against it.”

He leaned in for another kiss, but was stopped by Marinette’s small finger. “You would like that, wouldn’t you Chat? No, I think I prefer my bed tonight. But I might have to take you up on that offer one of these days. Can I give you a rain check?”

“Whatever my lady wishes,” he said sweetly, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

Rolling her eyes, she called Tikki over and transformed into her alter ego. She tossed her yo-yo to the building across the road and wrapped it around the chimney on the roof.

“See you later, handsome boy,” were Ladybug’s parting words as she blew Adrien kiss and leaped from the window and disappeared into the night. Adrien rushed to the window, trying to catch a glimpse of her as she departed, but she was already gone.

“You’re in way over your head. You know that right?” Plagg prodded.

“That may be so,” he responded, not looking away from the window, “but I wouldn’t give her up for anything. She’ll always be my lady, no matter what the future has in store for us.”

As the night grew longer, Adrien raised his arms over his head and yawned. As he crawled into bed, he let today’s events run through his head. Before he closed his eyes began to drift off to sleep, he realized something; this might have been the best day of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they lived happily ever after…or so it seemed. More chapters to come soon!!
> 
> Tumblr: miraculous-hearts


	6. Caught Red-Handed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alya is super sneaky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY (LATE) CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!! I had to do some thinking for this chapter, but I think I have it all figured out! Enjoy!

 

It was finally Friday, everyone’s favorite day of the week. It was also the day Alya was going to pry some answers out of Marinette, who hasn’t been herself the past few days. Luckily, today’s class consisted of watching a documentary of French fashion and its history, giving the reporter a chance to start digging.

“Ok, spill girl,” Alya quietly prodded her best friend, poking her in her side.

“What? What are you talking about?” Marinette asked raising an eyebrow.

Alya folded her arms and shook her head in disapproval. “You know exactly what I’m talking about! You’ve been acting weird all week! You’ve been falling asleep in class, you’re doodling in your notebook more than usual with this…daydream kind-of look on your face, Adrien has actually been talking to you and you’re not freaking out at all! What is up with you?” Even with the lights off in the room, Alya could still see a light blush spread across Marinette’s face.

Marinette had tried her hardest to keep everything under control, but it was harder than she originally thought. Ever since she’s figured out her crime fighting partner Chat Noir has been her long time crush Adrien Agreste, she has been on cloud nine. They’ve been visiting each other in secret the past couple of nights, which is why Marinette hasn’t been getting much sleep. Surprisingly during akuma attacks, they have been more in sync than they’ve even been before. Chat would always try to sneak a kiss or two after the battle, but she would always giggle and push him away, saying they didn’t need to give the press another story to write about in their newspapers. Her designs, as of late, have been very reminiscent of Ladybug and Chat Noir, and everything was a pair; shirts, sweatpants, socks, you name it. School also made it very difficult to avoid him, considering they had almost every class together. But Adrien would always find some excuse to talk to her, even if it was about last night’s homework. Marinette would always playfully glare at him, basically telling him to stop. He would laugh, wink, and wave goodbye every time; it was almost a routine at this point. All these things ran through Marinette’s head when she realized Alya was waiting for her response.

“I honestly don’t know what you’re referring to…” she said, lying through her teeth. She loved Alya, she was her best friend, but she couldn’t know. No one could. It killed her that she couldn’t tell Alya every single detail, but that would only add one more complication to her crazy life.

Alya narrowed her eyes and frowned. “You’re a terrible liar. You know that, right? I’m a journalist, Mari, and it’s my duty to sniff out the truth when the world hands me lies. I’m going to find out what your deal is, count on it.”

Marinette smiled and placed her hand on her shoulder. “I accept your challenge,” she teased.

After the film ended, the lights flashed on. The students groaned in annoyance at the sudden change in lighting in the room. Clearing her throat, their teacher began to speak.

“I hope you were all paying attention to this video,” she began, “because you will have a project do on the history of French fashion due a week from today.” There was another collective groan from the class before the teacher began again. “To make it easier, you will be allowed to work in groups of three. This might be against my better judgement, but I’ll also allow you to pick your own groups.” Small murmurs of excitement could be heard from the students now. “I would advise you not to procrastinate on this project. It will be worth 15% of your final grade in this class. One you have chosen your groups, you are free to leave.”

At that moment, everyone scrambled from their seat and ran to their friends, trying to secure a place in a group. Alya smiled at Marinette and gave her a high-five. “Now we just need one more…” she thought aloud. As if on cue, a voice from in front of them laughed.

“Excuse me, ladies,” Adrien smirked, turning around in his chair. “Would you mind if I joined your group for this project?”

“Dude?!” Nino complained, giving Adrien a disgusted look. “I thought we we’re gonna be partners on this!”

“Oh, I’m sorry Nino!” the blond apologized. “I promise, next project is reserved for you!”

“Nah, it’s cool bro,” he responded as he left his chair. “I think Kim and Max still need a third person. I’ll go with them. We’re good.” Nino extended a fist to his friend, Adrien doing the same as their knuckles connected. When Nino was gone, Adrien turned his attention back to the two ladies behind him.

“So, I guess it’s settled,” he smiled.

Meanwhile, Marinette was silently fuming. What is this stupid cat thinking? She tried not let her face show it, but she wanted to scream. She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Alya stared at her best friend, wondering what could possibly be going through her head. How come she’s not dying out of excitement right now? Alya raised a finger trying to ask a question, but Marinette was faster.

“Sure, Adrien, that would be great,” she spoke nonchalantly, “but can I talk to you for a second…privately.” She stood up from the chair and motioned for Adrien to follow her. Happily obliging, he walked out the door with her away from view of the classroom, only to be grabbed by his jacket seconds later.

“What are you doing?” she asked, a hint of panic in her voice.

He chuckled as he placed his hands where hers were, loosening her grip on him. “What? Am I not allowed to work with my princess on her school project?”

Marinette placed a hand on hear forehead in annoyance. She loved this boy, but God, he was a pain sometimes. “You do realize that Alya is in the group too, right? The school’s top reporter and the one person who knows me better than anyone! She’s already told me that she thinks I’ve been acting weird lately, and if she finds out what’s going on with us, it’s not going to end well!”

“Hey, hey,” Adrien whispered, “don’t worry about me. I promise to behave myself when Alya is there.” He then placed his hand on her chin, giving her a small smile. “But I can’t promise anything after she’s gone.” He leaned down to kiss her, but was stopped by Marinette’s slim finger.

“As much as I would like that kiss right now, what did I say about school, kitty?” she teased. “We gotta keep this under wraps. No exceptions.”

“Well, it was worth a shot,” he sighed, pulling back. “So what are we going to tell Alya about why you pulled me out here?”

“You worry too much. I got a plan,” she smirked as she walked back toward her best friend who was certainly extremely confused right now.

“You always do…” he murmured to himself as her followed her.

Working on a project on a Friday seemed a little odd since it wasn’t due until next week, but that’s what Marinette told Alya. Sure they had a lot of time, but she wanted to make sure that they had some sort of plan moving forward. Her, Alya and Adrien were going to meet at 7:00 tonight to get a plan of action together. Since they were able to sort things out, the three of them left school and were on their way home.

“I’ll see you tonight, Alya!” Marinette called out as her friend started to walk the other direction. Adrien’s car pulled up at almost the same time, waiting to take the child prodigy home.

“I’ll see you later, my lady,” Adrien whispered in her ear before he stepped into the car and drove away.  
Marinette’s cheeks turned bright red as she watched his car disappear out of sight. Letting a smile spread across her face, she hummed a tune all the way home.

 

~

 

Alya was determined to get the story from her friend. It was 6:15 when she left her house, 45 minutes earlier than what Marinette told her, but she needed to talk to her about her behavior. There were things she wasn’t telling her and it was eating her up.  
She sun was already setting as Alya walked the streets of Paris towards her best friend’s house. The city was always beautiful at this time of day. The sky was a perfect mixture of purples and oranges and the atmosphere was very calming. Everyone around seemed so relaxed. Paris truly was a city for dreamers.

But then, something caught Alya’s eye, something out of place. It was fast and leaping across the rooftops.

“Chat Noir!” she nearly shrieked, but quickly through her hand over her mouth, hoping no one had heard her. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice. Alya picked up her pace as to follow him. She thanked God she decided to leave early. It wasn’t everyday she was given the opportunity to potentially get an exclusive interview with the famous Parisian superhero. Keeping her distance, she followed him from below, never taking her eyes off of him. After a few minutes, she noticed the route she was taking seemed familiar. She’s been this way hundreds of times before. Alya stopped when she realized Marinette’s family bakery was just on the other side of the street. Looking up again to find the black cat again, she spotted him on the rooftop a few buildings away from where she was watching. What she didn’t expect to see Chat Noir leap onto where Marinette’s terrace was located. He stopped. She gasped.

Breaking into a sprint, she rushed over to the entrance of the bakery. She almost crashed into a customer when she opened the front door. Apologizing to the man, we walked around the line to fine Sabine Cheng at the register.

“Hi, Mrs. Cheng,” Alya greeted, almost out of breath. “Marinette and I are supposed to be working on a project. Do you mind if I head up?”

“Not at all, honey,” Sabine smiled. “Are you hungry, do you want me to…”  
“No thanks,” Alya almost screamed, cutting the woman off. “I mean…I’m fine, thank you! I’ll just be up in Marinette’s room!” With a hasty goodbye, Alya forced herself to run as fast as she could up the stairs. She paused when she reached the attic door leading to Marinette’s room. She heard laughter…from two people. As quietly as humanly possible, she cracked open the door and angled her head to look over her shoulder in hopes of seeing what was happening.

There was no one there. She squinted her eyes in confusion, but then she heard the laughter again. She looked up to see two figures sitting on Marinette’s bed. It was her best friend…and Cat Noir! She reached for her pocket where she kept her trusty phone and hit the “record” button. Zooming in, she could she Marinette resting her head on the black-suited boy’s shoulder. She held in a gasp when she heard her friend speak.

“You know you’re early,” she said, lifting her head to face him.

“What can I say, I just couldn’t stay away,” he purred, giving her a small kiss on the cheek.

Giggling, she placed a hand on his chest and playfully pushed him away. “Chat Noir should disappear before Alya arrives.”

Hearing her name, Alya pushed the door open all the way, letting it smack against the floor.

“It’s a little too late for that,” Alya retorted, putting her free hand on her hip, still recording this revelation on her phone. The two people on the bed jumped in surprise and remained motionless. Alya began to ascend to the secret couple’s place on the bed as Chat stood up slowly.

Chat swallowed hard as he tried to find his voice “I…I think it’s about time I leave. So if you could just…hand me the phone…” he spoke softly as he reached for Alya’s device.

“Sit down, kitty cat!” Alya commanded, jerking her phone away from the masked hero’s grasp. Chat slowly sat back down next to Marinette, who remained a statue. “No one is going anywhere until I get some answers.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, aren’t I evil? Now what are they gonna do? Guess you’ll have to wait and see! Don’t be afraid to leave a comment or message me! This chapter is a (late) Christmas gift for ladyofacat and pierrot02!
> 
> Tumblr: miraculous-hearts


	7. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is some explination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE RETURNED! I know it’s been 2 months, don’t hate me!! I hope you all don’t throw me into a volcano for that cliffhanger, but I am here to rectify the situation!

 

A pair of caramel eyes shot daggers at her raven-haired friend, whose face had turned beet red out of embarrassment and shame. Marinette knew that she had no way out of this.

“Well?” Alya questioned the couple sitting across from where she currently stood, phone still in hand recording the damning evidence. “I’m waiting.”

“Alya…” Marinette began, her lip quivering, “I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t...”

“Didn’t what?” Alya snapped. “You didn’t think I would figure out that my best friend is dating a Parisian superhero?”

“No! Well, I mean…I hoped you wouldn’t have,” Marinette murmured, lowering her gaze to stare at her feet. “Ayla, please listen to me,” she pleaded lifting her head, meeting her best friend’s glare, “if I would have told you, that would have meant putting you in danger! I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you knowing that I was the cause. Can you understand that?”

Alya’s eyes softened and let out a defeated sigh. “I know you want to keep me safe, Mari, and I appreciate your concern for me, but I can take care of myself. I’m not helpless.” Her eyes drifted to the blonde boy in question, furrowing her eyebrows once more. “And you,” sticking out a finger out, pointing at him accusingly, “what do you have to say about all of this? Don’t you know how dangerous this is for Marinette? What if an enemy finds out about you guys and goes after her to use her as leverage. I’m…”

“Alya,” Chat whispered sternly. “I would never let anything happen to her. I swear on my life that I will do everything to keep her safe and out of harm’s way.” Marinette stared at him in awe, failing to keep the blood from rushing to her cheeks. Silence filled the room as Chat quietly rose from the bed and stepped towards Alya. “Please Alya, if you put your phone down, I will explain everything. I promise.”

“What?!” Marinette and Alya exclaimed in harmony. Marinette jumped from her bed and moved to Chat’s side, tugging his arm and shaking her head, wordlessly pleading with him to stop.

He looked down at her, a tiny grin creeping across his face. “Marinette, do you trust me?” Marinette could see that he was worried, his eyes screamed fear, but she couldn’t deny that she did trust him. Even with her life.

After a short pause, she finally responded. “Of course”. Chat smiled and leaned down to kiss her gently on her forehead, causing Marinette to giggle lightly. The masked boy then turned to Alya, who was still aiming her phone’s camera at the couple.

“Alya, please,” he begged as he wrapped his arms around Marinette. Finally giving in, Alya pressed the “stop” button on her phone and proceeded to tap the garbage can icon, deleting all the footage that could have been her biggest scoop yet. Chat and Marinette’s shoulders dropped in relief as Alya placed her phone in her back pocket. The young reporter crossed her arms, waiting for an answer from her best friend and her super-powered boyfriend.

“Ok,” Alya breathed, “my phone is away, the footage is gone, and this is just between us three. There had better be one hell of an explanation.”

“You may want to sit down for this, Alya,” Chat said, gesturing towards the bed. Alya raised an eyebrow, but didn’t question his suggestion. She took a seat on Marinette’s mattress and folded her legs politely. It was quiet for another moment before Chat let out a deep breath.

“Alya, what you’re about to learn…it’s something that only Marinette knows. It’s something that cannot leave this room, under any circumstances. Do you understand? You cannot tell anybody.” His voice was calm, but forceful. Alya had never seen this side of Chat. Usually he is making witty comebacks or making ridiculous jokes. This wasn’t the light-hearted Chat Noir she’s recorded countless vlogs about. He was someone…different. Alya nodded obediently, waiting silently for what was about to happen next. “Ok then. Oh, and one last thing,” he spoke, resting a hand on her shoulder, “please don’t scream.”

Alya tilted her head in confusion at Chat’s request. “Why would I…”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence as Chat removed his ring from his finger. Alya gasped and shielded her eyes from the sudden burst of green light filled the small room. Once the light faded, she uncovered to eyes to see a blonde boy with bright green eyes and a familiar smile she would recognize anywhere. The one and only Adrien Agreste now stood where Chat Noir once did. There were no words. Alya’s silent scream echoed off the walls as Marinette threw her hand over her friend’s mouth.

“Pleasedontfreakout!!!” Marinette’s words ran together as she desperately tried to keep Alya from alerting her parents who were only a few feet below them. Her friend’s muffled voice was still too loud for her liking, so Mari placed a finger on her own lips, quietly begging her to lower her voice. Alya took a few deep breaths, finally nodding and letting Marinette know that she was alright to properly function. Tentatively, she removed her hand from Alya, whose mouth was gaped open in pure shock and confusion.

“You’ve got to be frickin’ kidding me!” she finally spoke, springing up from the bed throwing her arms around both of them and bringing them into a group hug. “Famous model and classmate Adrien Agreste is THE Chat Noir?! Why? And how? But you…and her…I need answers, like, yesterday!” Finally letting go of her friends, she began bouncing up and down in pure excitement.

Laughing lightly, Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “You are taking this surprising well. I mean, a lot better than how I thought you would react.”

“And now that all of you are friend again, can I get my cheese now?” a disembodied voice cut through their conversation. Before Alya could ask, Plagg was floating in between Adrien Marinette with his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face. “Seriously, you can’t keep using me for your personal issues unless you start bribing from now on.”

“Plagg! Now is not the time!” Adrien reprimanded.

Alya’s squeaks made everyone’s eyes fall on her. Their hearts were pounding in their chests, praying to some divine being that she wouldn’t scream.

“What is the world is that thing?!” Alya squealed, throwing her hands over her own mouth in attempt to stop herself from making any loud, unnecessary noises. “It’s like a tiny…floating…talking black cat??”

“You forgot unbearably annoying,” Adrien said curtly, giving Plagg the death glare. “But yes, that’s…more or less correct. We have a lot to explain.”

“Ha!” Alya chuckled folding her arms across her body, “that might just be the biggest understatement of the year!” Curious about the new flying figure in front of her, Alya casually strolled over to him, adjusting her glasses to make sure she wasn’t going completely insane. “So…Plagg, was it? Would you mind answering…”

“Sorry, lady,” Plagg blurted out stopping Alya in her tracks, “I don’t have the time or patience to answer your dumb questions. Unless of course you have some camembert cheese on you…”  

“Plagg,” Marinette stepped in, hoping to rectify the current situation, “I promise to get you as much camembert cheese as you desire from my fridge downstairs once this is all over. Could you please stay for now to help us explain things? For me?” Marinette smiled brightly, hoping to turn the small cat’s attitude around.

Plagg mumbled something incoherent before speaking up. “Fine, but only because you promised me as much as I want. Speaking of explaining things, shouldn’t there be someone else present to help you two?”

Marinette and Adrien’s eye both grew wide with worry, not knowing how Alya would react to another bombshell of top secret information.

“We, uh, haven’t exactly gotten there yet…” Marinette started, gulping as she looked at her friend’s questioning face.

“Gotten where now?” Alya asked puzzled.

“Oh, this is gonna be good!” Plagg snickered tossing his hands behind his head in pure blissfulness.

This is the day Marinette has dreaded since day one. The day that Alya finally knew that her best friend was the famed superhero Ladybug. She has wanted to tell her from the very beginning, but she had been instructed not to tell a soul. But there was no other option now. There was no way she could explain everything without lying to her again. And Marinette was done lying to her. She drew in a deep breath and let it out as slowly as she could before she called out her name.

“Tikki?” her voice rang throughout the room, “you can come out now. I want you to formally meet someone.”

Nothing happened a few seconds after Marinette spoke. But soon, a speedy flash of red was resting on Marinette’s shoulder. The flying creature waved at the bewildered young journalist before greeting her.

“I’m Tikki!” she giggled softly, “It’s nice to finally meet you. First, let me say that I’m deeply sorry about all of this. I know this is a lot for one person to process, but if you just give us a small bit of your time, we can…”

“You…you look like…” Alya began, but stopped immediately. She pointed at Tikki and glided her finger slightly now pointing at her unmoving best friend. “Are you telling me that you’re…you’re…”

“I’m Ladybug,” she finished.

That had done it. Alya’s body went limp as she fell towards the bed, eyes closed and mouth gaping. She had fainted. Adrien and Marinette rushed to her to pull her fully onto the mattress, laying her down in the most comfortable way possible. Marinette began to shake her, but it was no use; she was out cold.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no!!” Marinette panicked! “What have we done?! What do we do now, Adrien?”

“Seems to me that we are purrfectly screwed, my lady,” he chuckled as Marinette grabbed a pillow and smacked him with it a few dozen times.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you go, Chapter 7! I’m so sorry for taking so long! I promise never to do that again! Comments would be greatly appreciated! 
> 
> Tumblr: miraculous-hearts


	8. Stay With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the school project is completely ignored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you miss me? Probably not, but here I am anyway! On with the show!

 

“Alya, I swear to God, I am NOT dealing with this right now! Wake up!” Mari pleaded with her friend who was blissfully unconscious laying on top of Marinette’s bed. She shot Adrien a worried glance before turning back to Alya. Plagg floated over to where the girl slept and gently smacked her cheek with his tiny paw. Unsurprising, nothing happened.

“Just as I thought,” Plagg stated, “she’s down for the count.” A small chuckle erupted form the kwami’s lips as he dashed over to where Tikki hovered.

“If you’re not going to be helpful, then just stay silent,” Tikki reprimanded him.

Plagg only rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in annoyance. “Maybe I’d be more help if I got my camembert…” he grumbled under his breath, making his comment barely inaudible.

“That’s it!” Mari nearly screamed, causing her boyfriend to jump back in confusion and slight terror. Noticing the concerned grimace Adrien was giving her, she decided to elaborate. “The smell! Maybe it’ll startle her awake!”

“You may be right,” Adrien commented, getting up from his position on the bed and strolling over to where his girlfriend was sitting comfortably. “The stench from that God awful food makes me extremely nauseous and it’s so hard to ignore, I’ll bet that smell will wake her right up.”

“So let me get this straight,” Plagg interjected, “your friend gets to eat the delicacy that is camembert cheese, but I don’t?”

“No, she’s not going to eat it,” Marinette shook her head.

“Aaahhh, I understand,” the black kwami nodded. “But you better give it to me after you’re done, I need my energy.”

Marinette agreed as she descended down her small staircase. “I’ll be right back. Watch over her for me, Adrien.”

The boy gave a small smile as Marinette opened the door that lead to her living room. “Anything for my lady,” he sighed quietly as his girlfriend disappeared from sight. But just as Marinette left the room, Alya began to squirm. Adrien turned to her and scooted over so that he could tuck his hand behind her head and lift her up from her sleeping position. Still a little groggy, Alya finally spoke as she rubbed the back of her head.

“Oh man, that was a weird dream. For some strange reason I thought that…” she stopped talking when her eyes finally opened and saw Adrien Agreste leaning over her slightly while two floating entities stared at her curiously. “Aaaaand I guess that was all real,” she corrected herself, sitting up all the way, making her way to the edge of the bed and sitting down so her feet were planted firmly on the floor. “Wow, this is…this is a lot to take in. Who would have thought you and Mari have been saving Paris all this time. I feel so stupid for not realizing it sooner!”

“Yeah, I’m really sorry about all of this,” Adrien tried comforting her. “I know this is a lot for you, but I’m actually really glad this happened.”

Alya lowered one of her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes, confused by his words. “You are? Why? Isn’t this whole thing supposed to be super top secret or whatever?”

“It is,” Adrien confirmed. “But do you know how hard it is to keep a secret like this? Especially when your whole life is monitored and planned out for you? Especially since, for the first time in my life, I actually have friends and I can’t even tell them about the most exciting part of it? Marinette just recently found out, and I thank God that she did, but…” he stopped and looked over at Tikki and Plagg who stared at him sadly.

Alya’s confusion turned into sympathy. “Hey, I’m sorry,” Alya apologized. “I know life can suck sometimes, and your life is much more complicated than most teens…in more ways than one. But I want you to know that both Mari and I are here for you, whenever you need us.”

His lips formed into a small smile at her words. “Thanks, Alya. I’m glad Marinette has a friend like you.”

“And I’m happy Mari has you to protect her,” Alya complimented, bringing Adrien into a hug. “Even though I know she can take care of herself, it’s nice to have back up.”

“Gee, thanks,” he answered sarcastically as he pulled away from her grip.

 Hey, don’t mention it, Agreste,” she quipped back. “Besides, now that I know that you and my bestie are together, I can tell you all I know about her.”

Adrien’s eyes widened in excitement. Sure, Mari was his girlfriend, but there is no way he would get her to tell him everything. Alya could give up secrets he only dreamed of knowing about her. How often did she talk about him? Any cute dreams about her and him on dates? How often she imagined them…kissing? He suddenly noticed how sweaty his palms had become as well as how hot his face felt. There was so much he needed to know about Mari and the greatest source of information was offering him exactly what he wanted. All of these questions were on the tip of his tongue, bud sadly, before he could ask anything, Marinette reappeared. She was carrying a handful of small pieces of camembert while simultaneously carrying a glass of water between the bend of her elbow. She looked up to find Alya wide awake, making her drop her shoulders in relief, silently thanking every god that ever existed that her friend was okay. She watched her friend climb down her stairs, Adrien following close behind. She wrapped her friend in a bear hug while Marinette tried not to drop everything she was holding. Once Alya finally let go, Mari offered her the glass of water, in which Alya gladly accepted.

“Well, I guess I don’t need to wake you up with this anymore,” Marinette spoke out, pointing to the smelly cheese in her hand.

Out of nowhere, the small black kwami flew to Marinette’s hand and perched himself in her palm as he gulped down the first piece of cheese in the blink of an eye. Within a few seconds, all that was left in the dark haired girl’s hand was a very satisfied and sleepy black cat.

“That really hit the spot,” Plagg hummed out, rolling on to his side and closing his eyes.

“Wow, that was really adorable, I don’t know how to handle this,” Marinette giggled.

“Are you serious, Mari,” Adrien scoffed, “he is anything but!”

Plagg sat up, shooting Adrien an annoyed look. “Hey, she’s entitled to her own opinion!”

“I agree with Adrien,” Tikki interjected. “I’ve known Plagg for far too long now and he is by no means cute. Lazy or lethargic would be a better word.”

“At last, someone who knows my pain,” Adrien chuckled while Tikki gave his cheek a tiny hug.

“Hey, Agreste, aren’t you supposed to be here to help us with the project we have to work on,” Alya interrupted their playful banter, folding her arms over her chest.

“Ha, I almost forgot. You’re right,” Adrien agreed. “I better make my official appearance. Let’s go, Plagg.” And with that, Chat Noir stood in the place where Adrien once did. “I’ll be right back, ladies. Try not to miss me too much.” Quick as a flash, Chat raced up the ladder and flew out of the trap door that lead to Marinette’s balcony. Tikki hummed quietly and flew up to Marinette’s bed, leaving the two best friends together in an awkward silence.

“He really does care about you, you know,” Alya finally spoke. Marinette turned around to face her friend, her face burning red. Of course she knew, that was a given. But hearing it from someone else, it made it seem somehow more real than it already was. Mari couldn’t keep track of how many times Chat has looked at her like she was his entire world, and he has already confessed his love to her. But hearing her best friend say that she sees and knows how much Adrien cares about her, it made her heart skip a beat.

“Yeah, I know,” she murmured.

Alya threw her arm around Mari, pulling her closer to her own body. “So, Miss ‘I Save The World On A Regular Basis’, when am I gonna get my exclusive interview with you and your kitty cat lover,” she joked.

This was something Marinette was expecting. Of course Alya wasn’t gonna let either of them go scotch-free, she was a reporter after all. She figured it was only fair that Alya got her answers, but Mari would have to lay down some ground rules.

“Ok, ok,” Marinette gave in, “you’ll get your answers. But there gotta be some limits to what you can and cannot ask on camera.”

“Sure, sure,” Alya brushed off jokingly.

Before she could list off guidelines, the girls heard a voice from downstairs. “Marinette, Adrien is here to help you and Alya on the project,” Mari’s mom called up to her.

“Thank you, mama! You can send him up,” she yelled down. They heard a little shuffling from the floor below before Adrien appeared from the door on Mari’s wooden floor.

“Miss me?” he asked innocently as Plagg flew from his shirt to join Tikki on Marinette’s bed. “Did I miss anything important?”

“No,” Mari answered sweetly as Adrien threw his arm around her shoulders. “I was just going to tell Alya what she can and can’t ask Ladybug and Chat Noir during an exclusive interview I promised her.” Adrien gave her a curious look, to which Marinette only shrugged. “It’s only fair.”

“I agree, but for now…” the blond-haired boy took a seat on the floor and patted a spot next to him, enticing Marinette to join him. Smiling, she plopped down next to him while Alya was soon on the floor with them. “We’ll be glad to answer any personal questions you may have for us now, off camera of course.”

Alya laughed to herself. “This is so much more fun than doing the dumb project,” she stated.

The couple hummed in agreement, waiting for the rapid-fire questions that they were sure were burning on Alya’s tongue. Naturally, she asked about them about how they got their powers in the first place. They responded that they found a small box in their room containing their respective Miraculous, but neither of them knew where the boxes came from nor who gave them the small containers in the first place. Alya also wanted to know who figured out who first. Adrien proudly announced that he had suspected Marinette to be Ladybug first, and then he dropped a hint or two to help Marinette along. His raven-haired girlfriend lightly smacked the back of his head, saying she would have figured it out sooner or later. Back and forth, questions were met with answers as this went on for about an hour. At last, Alya decided to call it quits for the night, since it was getting pretty late. She had promised her mom she would be home before 9:30pm because Alya’s family had to go on a little trip tomorrow to go see her great Aunt who lived a few hours away. She bid her friends goodnight, leaving the two lovebirds alone together.

“I should probably get going too, my sweet,” Adrien purred in her ear as he stood up and lifting her up with him. Plagg flew down and hid in the teenage boy’s white jacket.

“Well, Adrien can leave,” Mari started to say, “but Chat Noir can come and visit me in a few minutes. I mean…if that’s okay with you…”

Adrien smiled and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. “There’s nothing more that I want then to spend more time with you, Marinette.” She felt her whole body tremble at his words. The boy descended the stairs, Marinette following him, to where her living room was. Mari’s parents were still up, watching the news on the television. As Adrien bid farewell and departed from the Dupain-Cheng household, Marinette had told her parents that she was tired from this week and that she was heading to bed early. Marinette hurriedly threw on her light pink pajama top and pants and brushed her teeth in a manner that some might say was too fast. She raced up her stairs, awaiting her boyfriend’s arrival. Only a few more seconds passed before she heard a knock above her head. De-transforming, Chat let the green light wash over him. Tikki and Plagg disappeared under the cover of the dark room to an undisclosed location as to leave the two teenagers alone to their antics.

“You…you can…” Mari spoke softly. “Do you want to stay the night?”

“My father and Nathalie actually left today on a business trip in Italy,” he explained, joining Marinette on her bed, “I would love to stay the night with you, bugaboo.”

“Then come join me, chaton,” she whispered as she pulled herself under her bed covers, Adrien following her action. They lay side by side, Marinette turning her back to Adrien and nuzzling up against him. She heard him take a sharp breath and giggled lightly. She let her hand wander until she found his. She interlaced their fingers together and guided his hand so that it was placed on her stomach. She was so close to him that she could hear how fast his heart was beating. Concerned, she turned her head slightly to see his reaction. “Is this okay?” she ask him. “We don’t have to…”

“No, no, it’s fine,” he insisted, not letting her finish her statement. “It’s just that…you’re so beautiful.” Adrien lifted the hair that was covering her neck and placed his lips on her pulse. Marinette did everything in her power not to scream in delight. His lips felt so warm and nice, she never wanted him to stop. He pulled away and sighed as his free hand played with her loose hair. They lay like that for a while, neither of them feeling tired, until Adrien spoke again.

“Marinette?” he whispered softly.

“Hmm?” she answered blissfully.

“Do you regret the way…things turned out?” he asked, his voice unsure.

Mari wasn’t expecting that question, but she thought she should answer as honestly as possible. “No. I mean, I figured Alya would find out about us sooner or later because the Lord knows how persistent and stubborn she is, but…”

“That’s not what I meant,” he spoke, even quieter this time.

She turned her body to face him, looking straight into his peridot green eyes. “What do you mean, then?”

He looked away from her and started at their interlocked hands, running his fingers gingerly over her knuckles. “I meant…do you regret how things turned out between us?” Marinette blinked a few times, but didn’t respond. “I know that you wanted to keep your identity as Ladybug a secret and on that night I came to visit you, I was wondering if that was even a good idea. I didn’t want to put our friendship in jeopardy and I was sure you were going to hate me afterwards…I just…”

He didn’t finish. He found Marinette’s lips pressed against his own. He lost track of whatever he was going to say next as she he felt her delicate hand placed on his face, her thump running little circles on his cheek. She pulled away first, leaving Adrien in a daze.

“I could never hate you; whether you are Adrien or Chat. And even if you weren’t Adrien, I would have forgiven you. You are my partner first, I couldn’t do anything without you.” The words she spoke left Adrien speechless and teary eyed. Marinette noticed and placed a thumb under his eye to catch the falling tear. “So to answer your question…no. I will never regret this. Ever. I love you Adrien.”

A smile broke on Adrien’s face as he brought Marinette closer to him, kissing her with all his heart and soul. They finally pulled away and yawned in unison. Marinette resumed her position as the little spoon as her body rested against Adrien’s. She let herself drift off to sleep as she felt Adrien’s grip tightened ever so slightly, making a silent promise to never let her go. And for that moment, everything was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the end. I was thinking about going somewhere else with this, but I think this story is fine where it is. I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Tumblr: miraculous-hearts


End file.
